Successful Associations Today

This episode is a love letter to associations and the work they do on behalf of members on a daily basis.

As I work with association professionals who are making tough decisions and pivoting daily, what I see is that members are grateful for leadership and guidance. Once members look to you for advice and support in difficult times, they will look to you again. The result is that even as you navigate these rough waters internally, you have the opportunity to enhance your value proposition for your members externally.

In addition to hearing about what associations are doing for members, I'm also hearing wonderful things about the staff members who are pivoting, innovating, and scrambling. Your work is not going unnoticed.

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© 2020 Mary Byers

I usually have a guest discussing something noteworthy his or her association is doing. Not this time. I'm recording today in the midst of the Corona Virus. "Community" is a word we often hear in connection to associations. Frankly, that's what associations are. Communities of commonality—accountants, engineers, researchers, physicians, and chemical distributors. There's a word we don't hear as often, however, and I've always wondered why we don't. The word is "resilient."

Since the beginning of associating, associations have helped their members weather economic storms, market changes, technological challenges, regulatory burdens and unexpected crisis that upend business as usual. Yes, associations are about community. But they also contribute to resilience. I've long said that an association's strongest value proposition comes from helping members do together what they can't do alone. In this time of turmoil, I invite you to lean into this by asking four essential questions.

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© 2020 Mary Byers

Ed Wojcicki, Executive Director, Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and I talked about the counter-intuitive strategy of running toward difficult conversations rather than away from them, a concept his association has embraced in the face of the "Black Lives Matter" movement.

Instead of refusing to talk, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police has reached out to organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. Ed shares what's resulted—including the valuable concept of developing shared principles.

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© 2020 Mary Byers

Cathy Burns, CEO of the Produce Marketing Association joins me for a discussion about the process they are using to help diversify revenue.

The PMA relies heavily on two big annual events, and while those continue to grow, what if something happened out of the blue to affect participation and attendance at those events? They wanted to be able to protect the association for the long-term, but also create other value that could generate revenue for the organization. The first step was a collaboration between the board, volunteer leaders and staff to brainstorm potential opportunities and ideas.

Listen in as we talk about the number of ideas that were generated, how they narrowed them down, and the process they used to turn the innovative ideas into new revenue streams for the association.

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© 2020 Mary Byers

Cathy Burns, CEO of the Produce Marketing Association caught my attention when I heard that Courage was one of the organization's core values. We don't typically hear values discussed within the association space, and I certainly haven't heard courage being identified as one, so my ears perked up right away. In this episode Cathy shares the genesis of the PMA's core values and how they are impacting every part of the organization.

Leadership requires not only doing brave things, it means speaking the unspeakable sometimes. By identifying courage as a value PMA has given staff and volunteer leaders permission to do things and talk about things that are sometimes hard.

It has also lead the PMA to be more innovative and reach into spaces where they may not have gone in the past.

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© 2020 Mary Byers

Questions are how we change the world one conversation at a time. And sometimes, that means putting something in between two people that gives them permission to connect with each other.

In this episode, I interview Chad Littlefield, co-founder and chief experience officer at We and Me, Inc. an organization whose mission is to create conversations that matter. Forbes calls Chad a global expert on asking questions that build trust and connection in teams.

Chad developed "We! Connect" and "We! Engage" cards which act as a "conversation mid-wife" giving birth to new ideas. Sometimes the barrier between connection and separation is the smallest social risk and the cards assume that social risk for people.

It's amazing how learning just one or two small things about somebody creates connection and a sense of teamwork. It's a very simple but powerful concept for strategic planning retreats, conferences, and other groups both small and large.

Find out more about We! Connect and We! Engage cards on the We and Me website.

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© 2020 Mary Byers

Building a compelling case for giving is crucial to effective results for your organization or foundation. It's not enough to have an earnest desire to make a difference.

Elizabeth Bailey, founder and CEO of 2B Communications, talks about the important questions we need to be asking in order to build a true fundraising infrastructure. When we understand what we're raising money for and we're passionate about the mission and the cause, making connections to people and organizations who share that passion and could be potential donors becomes easier.

Do you need a foundation or is a fiduciary agent for one-off projects a better fit? Why should you exist as a foundation? How can you take a strategic thinking approach to fundraising? Listen in to find out!

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© 2020 Mary Byers

What do you know about your membership today? The days of assuming someone joins your association and stays through retirement are gone. Learn why it's crucial to have a deep understanding of who your members are and where they are in their life in order to develop your best strategy.

Elizabeth Bailey, founder and CEO of 2B Communications, helps associations when membership has plateaued, is declining, or they are missing opportunities to connect with their members in a meaningful way. Looking at things like trends in attendance at conferences, uptake in professional development and other performance activities helps lead to actionable strategy.

What do you really need to know about your members? What research is necessary? And what is "return on engagement"? Listen in to find out!

© 2019 Mary Byers

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Produced by Podcast Prowess

In part two of my conversation with member engagement specialist Amanda Kaiser, we talk about the two elements that are critical for improving new member recruitment and retention -- Value and Member Experience. You'll learn what a "culture of hospitality" is and why it's important to be intentional about creating this for members. Learn why you may need a mindset shift about including member experience in your on-boarding process, and the biggest barriers to engagement and how to overcome them.

© 2019 Mary Byers

Find out more at MaryByers.com Join the conversation on our social sites:

@MaryByers on Twitter

Mary on Facebook

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Produced by Podcast Prowess

Want to learn how you can boost new member renewal rates by as much as 10% or what associations with high new member retention do that others don't? If so, join me for this episode with member engagement specialist Amanda Kaiser. We discuss why some associations focus on new members for months rather than just the first 30 days and small on-boarding changes you can make that have a big impact. You'll look at new member on-boarding in a whole new way after listening to this episode!

© 2019 Mary Byers

Find out more at MaryByers.com Join the conversation on our social sites:

@MaryByers on Twitter

Mary on Facebook

Mary on LinkedIn

Produced by Podcast Prowess